We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Shiloh Guay. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Shiloh below.
Hi Shiloh, appreciate you sitting with us today to share your wisdom with our readers. So, let’s start with resilience – where do you get your resilience from?
Reflecting on my early years, I would have to initially credit my mom with teaching me how to be resilient. My mom had my sister and I in her early teens. We grew up poor most of our lives and my mom often held more than one job at a time. We moved around frequently and had to change schools each time. Although these experiences were difficult, especially as a teen, I know that they helped shape me to be able to get back up and shake off the dirt when I get knocked down.
Great, so let’s take a few minutes and cover your story. What should folks know about you and what you do?
After spending 10 years in traditional healthcare, I was burnt out and my own health was declining. I decided it was time to take a leap of faith, quit the system and begin experimenting with a holistic approach to heal myself. After, I experienced resolution of anxiety, pre-diabetes, and hormonal issues I knew my calling was to help others. I took my experiences and established Organic Habits where I help people reach an elevated level of nutrition and lifestyle. I go beyond the basics of calorie restrictive diets and intense exercise routines that are unsustainable. I take clients on a deep dive of what our current culture understands as health versus what health actually means. I guide them on a journey of understanding the harmful ingredients they put in their body, the toxins that affect our hormones, and how mindful movement activities can be more effective than intense workout routines. We discuss how to create identity-based changes in our daily habits to create lasting, sustainable changes.
Looking back, what do you think were the three qualities, skills, or areas of knowledge that were most impactful in your journey? What advice do you have for folks who are early in their journey in terms of how they can best develop or improve on these?
My journey is just beginning, but the quality of being resilient is at the top of this list. I spent years of my nursing career searching for a place where it felt right to be and I have finally found my niche with Organic Habits. Without being resilient, I don’t think I would have made it a decade in traditional health care that would ultimately lead me to where I am now.
Another important quality I have found impactful is the ability to admit when you are wrong or do not know something. People will actually respect you more if you can take ownership of your mistakes and you will respect yourself more too. I found this especially important when I was in a leadership role. If I couldn’t admit when something wasn’t working right or take ownership over poor decisions, how could I expect the same from my team?
And last, but most important is the quality of having faith. God always has a greater plan for your life than you can ever fathom. There were many days where I had to fully rely on my faith to propel me out of bed and go work a job that wreaked havoc on my mind and body. I knew that if I kept hanging on, God would provide. He has always provided a way for me, and His plan is always better than when I veer off and take matters into my own hands.
Before we go, any advice you can share with people who are feeling overwhelmed?
When I am feeling overwhelmed, I find it most helpful to stick to my foundational daily habits. It’s important that I read a daily devotional before I get out of bed. Then, as soon as I drop the kiddo off at school, I come home to get morning sun and go through a stretching practice. When I get overwhelmed, it’s easy to skip these habits to allow “more time” to get other things done. When I do this, it makes it easier to skip a workout or be less intentional about my food choices for the day or be as joyful…You get the point.
So, I would say, whatever is a foundational habit for you, keep true to it. Whether it is exercise, a daily phone call to your mom or reading the bible, these daily habits are an anchor of your identity and provide stability in moments of chaos.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.organichabits.net
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/organichabitscoaching/
